Domestic Politics

For Turkey’s Erdogan, a challenge in former stronghold

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hasn’t lost many elections since the conservative party he co-founded took control of the government in 2002. But the party’s rare defeat in Istanbul, Turkey’s largest city, was a political and personal setback for the country’s leader.

Opposition party candidate EkremImamoglu won the revote for Istanbul mayor by a wide margin Sunday, handing Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan a stunning political defeat, according to preliminary results.

Foreign Policy

Turkey stands by S-400s, says F-35 partners disapprove of U.S.

Turkey has purchased Russian missile defenses and is discussing a delivery date irrespective of any U.S. sanctions, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Monday, adding the United States is isolated as it also squeezes Turkey on F-35 jets.

European Union leaders threatened sanctions against Turkey as a fight escalated over offshore energy reserves in the eastern Mediterranean. The unprecedented EU move Thursday came as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan already faced the imminent threat of U.S. sanctions over Ankara’s planned purchase of a Russian missile-defense system.

Turkey is standing firm against U.S. opposition and expects to take delivery of Russia’s S-400 missile defense systems next month, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Thursday. Speaking to a group of foreign journalists, Erdogan reiterated that the deal with Russia was sealed and there would be no turning back despite vociferous U.S. opposition.

Economy & Energy

For Erdogan, the bill for Turkey’s debt-fueled growth comes due

The shocking rebuke of Turkey’s governing party in Sunday’s mayoral election in Istanbul resonated as more than a yearning for new leadership in the nation’s largest city. It signaled mounting despair over the economic disaster that has befallen the nation under the strongman rule of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Turkey has launched a second drillship that will drill for gas off neighboring Cyprus’ east coast despite the European Union’s decision to prepare possible sanctions to make sure Ankara refrains from such illegal actions.

The Turkish lira weakened some 1 percent on Wednesday after Bloomberg News reported that the United States is weighing three sanctions packages to punish Turkey over its purchases of the Russian S-400 defence system.